I suggest you...not eliminate or gut the "one year grace period," nor switch the US to a "first to file" country, with regard to patent application filings. These changes (S.23 and HR 1249), if enacted into law, will be very bad for small technology businesses, where most of our job growth is.

I want to emphasize the need for web-based apps (or offline programs) which seamlessly allow entrepreneurs to bring ideas to fruition. From initial concept all the way to manufacturing, programming, financing, etc. We need to tap our collective brilliance while ensuring that those with brilliant ideas are protected/rewarded accordingly and, if needed, are guided through the development process effectively, efficiently,
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Secure patentability rights while allowing publication and commercialization of claims and trade secrets prior to submitting a patent application.
Use the provisonal patent application database as a trade secret database [e.g., a Trade Secret Bank] that is searchable by a community of qualified members of the Bank who demonstrate that they will not use the information in the Bank for any purpose except to enter into
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Allow citizens to vote using the internet and thus make democracy a reality. Think of the 600 million Facebook users voting on issues in real-time. We could move forward instead of stagnating. We could also fire all of our 'representatives' on capital hill. At least use the power of instant communications/feedback to gauge what people want to do with tax dollars. How about letting us see exactly (itemized) how are tax
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Voting on Ideas

Rather than completely rebuilding the Patent System... reinstate a version of The Disclosure Document Program with information to be kept Confidential by the USPTO but to be accessed as evidence of Date of Invention if needed. Keep electronic files Indefinately.
I actually have a more thorough explanation but this is a simple, cost effective, way to address some of the issues brought up by Internation Mega-Corporations
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Problem: In the world of pharmaceutical patents, it costs the patent originator money for R&D and patent application. After a patent is awarded, a generic manufacturer may challenge the patent using a "Paragraph 4" challenge, and doesn't have to pay any fee at all. There is, therefore, no cost for a generic manufacturer to challenge a legitimately awarded patent, and a big hidden cost to the originator (who has to plan
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